KINGSPORT, Tenn. – The Kingsport Area Chamber of Commerce will host a ribbon cutting and open house for KOSBE Award winner, Picsee Studio on Thursday, June 30, at 3 p.m. at their new location, 115 E. Market Street, downtown Kingsport.

A Customer Appreciation Soiree to say thanks to their clients and to meet and mingle with potential ones, will be held from 6 – 8 p.m. at their new location and the first 25 people will receive swag bags. A photo booth will be set up for random acts of crazy and fun photos and food and refreshments will also be provided.

Picsee is a 2010 KOSBE Award Winner in the Young Entrepreneur category.

With a dream of capturing irreplaceable moments and turning them into works of art, Picsee has a team that believes the events of life should be documented, no matter how big or small.

Picsee was founded in 2008 by Becky Jones and Jennifer Bolling, from an overwhelming shared passion for family relationships and expressive and heartfelt photography. Later that year, Christy Steadman brought her photographic talents to the team, becoming co-owner soon after.

“The five of us are driven by our loves for life, style and creativity,” said owner, Jones. ”Our philosophy is simple. We believe that every couple and every family is different and that their photography should follow suit!”

2009 was a banner year for Picsee, as the trio moved to their downtown Kingsport location, photographed many new clients and hired Cristy Eagan as studio manager and production assistant. They were awarded the Simply Canvas Studio of the Month in October 2009.

“We don’t like to put our clients in a ‘sit here and say cheese’ box,” said Jones. “Our brides and grooms don’t usually look straight at the camera and sometimes we crop kids’ heads out of the frame. Rules were made to be broken.”

“Nothing excites us more than finding out what makes you tick and using that to inspire a unique and significant session, totally tailored to you!” Jones added.

“Photography is more than just taking pictures, we spend a lot of time getting to know our clients, their unique stories and making sure they have a wonderful, meaningful experience.” said co-owner, Steadman. “We needed to expand. Last year we were booked for the entire year by April, we had to turn clients away and it broke our hearts. We decided to hire a new photographer and look for another location.”

Luck would have it that Cindy Saddeh Fine Art needed to expand the art gallery and into the Picsee’s former location. “With that little push from God, we partnered with STYLE (who was also thinking of relocation) and John and Angela Vachon of Urban Synergy to find our next office space,” said Steadman. “It was scary to move with the economy the way it is, but we knew deep down, this was the best choice for our business to thrive.”

To date, The Picsee Chicks, as the team are commonly referred to, say 2011 has been just as successful and they have added another talented photographer, Beth Corpstein to the team while relocating to their new office space at 115 E. Market Street (across from their prior location.) On June 21, 2011 Picsee was awarded the Redevelopment Award of June by the City of Kingsport.

To view their work visit, thepicseeblog.com and browse through categories that range from babies, couples, engagement, families, generations, kids, maternity, pets, products, seniors and weddings.

Not only does Picsee take photos locally, but the team will also go out of state and island hop for a client.

It is the intent of KOSBE to be the go-to organization in the Tri-Cities for small business owners and entrepreneurs who want to start or grow their businesses, by creating and developing the right tools and resources and cultivating the right partnerships. In partnership with Tennessee Small Business Development Centers (TSBDC) at ETSU, KOSBE can more effectively serve the needs of entrepreneurs and small businesses. For a complete listing of services, tools and resources, visit kosbe.org.

The cooperative agreement between KOSBE and East Tennessee State University is partially funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). SBA’s funding is not an endorsement of any products, opinions or services. SBA funded programs are extended to the public on a non-discriminatory basis. Additional funding is provided by the Tennessee Board of Regents and the state of Tennessee.

To schedule your free confidential counseling appointment in a private setting by TSBDC-certified counselors in person, online by phone or e-mail call Marybeth McLain at (423) 392.8825 or e-mail, mmclain@kosbe.org.